Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Opera2Day

In the past few years opera has come off its pedestal and is being taken to the people with the emergence of many newish and smallish touring companies – not to mention the ubiquitous Russian outfits touring to all corners of Europe with productions of mixed quality.

Opera2You is a truly international company based in The Hague and specializes in presenting newly created operas. They take a classic story and set it to existing music by classical composers and with new libretto/recitatives the work is welded into a whole. This formula has proved successful in their La troupe d’Orphée, Dr. Miracle’s Last Illusion and the recent Hamlet.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses is, of course, based on the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos first published 1782 and since then it has been adapted for stage and film many times. This is the first time it has been presented as an opera.

Very much the baby of Serge van Veggel, who not only conceived the piece but also, along with Stefano Simone Pintor, wrote the libretto working with dramaturg Karim Ameur, this presentation of the classic tale of sexual exploitation and debauchery is a strange, though successful, hybrid of ancient and modern.

The story centres on the former lovers and rivals, the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, who use their seductive powers to corrupt the innocent. Candida Guida as the marquise and Yosemeh Adjei, singing counter-tenor, as Valmont were totally convincing with Mr Adjei in his (what we used to call) loon pants, frilly shirt and Cuban-heeled boots being the very epitome of depraved decadence.

Written only seven years before the French revolution, it has never been clear whether de Laclos’s book was a criticism or celebration of l’ancien regime, but either way, it does not depict the French aristocracy in its most favourable light.

The story had been cleverly distilled down to five singing parts with a very large retinue of flunkies cum non-singing chorus cum costumed stage-management which worked very well. I liked their identical costumes – those funny suits the Dutch wear with fabric patterned with bold, quirky images – and silly black wigs perched on their heads.

The very long first half was very much Vivaldi’s show and the music and new libretto merged invisibly so you would think they had always been so. The costumes by Mirjam Pater and clever décor by Herbert Janse were excellent and, along with moody lighting by Marc Heinz, really helped create the perfect atmosphere. This was a co-production with Netherlands Bach Society (Nederlandse Bach Vereniging) and the small orchestra, containing some wonderfully exotic old instruments was under the very able baton of Hernán Schvartzman.

The second half was a very different kettle of fish with no so much Vivaldi but a lot of recitative and new music by Vanni Moretti. I think I preferred the second half. Although less musical, it had some fine visual and dramatic moments. I loved the smoky scene with the candles and the moment towards the end when poor Madame de Tourvel, very nicely played by Barbara Kozelj, is being trussed up in straight-jacket while the Marquise is being dressed in all her feathered finery. It was one of many outstanding moments.

Stephanie True was excellent and believable as the innocent, ripe-for-picking Cécile and Maayan Licht, who also sang counter-tenor, made an uncorrupted Chevalier Danceny. Which brings me to my only reservation.

I am not sure it was a good idea to cast both male singers as counter-tenors. It is a very unnatural way of singing and can jar a little after a while. I think I would have been happier to have one of them as a tenor or even baritone. But apart from that little niggle the whole thing was brilliantly conceived and executed.

The climax when the walls come tumbling down and the wheels come off the corrupt household was very powerful – with Valmont lying dead on the floor, the massed retinue slowly pursues the aristos off stage like a herd of zombies, not yet sans coulottes.

This was the first time I have seen Opera2Day and I really enjoyed their production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses which yet again has demonstrated that there is a brave new world of opera out there which has yet to be fashioned. I shall look forward to their next project. Michael Hasted 18th January 2019

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Welcome to ArtsTalk Magazine Holland

Launched in June 2017, we are the sister publication of StageTalk Magazine in the UK and provide previews, reviews and information, in English, for theatres, art exhibitions, concerts, opera etc, concentrating on cities in south west Netherlands (Noord/Zuid Holland and Utrecht regions). Each venue, museum or gallery has its own page with information and a link to its website. The site is updated regularly and information is always coming in so there is always something new to discover or read about.

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1st June marks an important milestone in the struggle against the coronavirus as far as the arts are concerned. Finally, after two months of lockdown, performance spaces, galleries and museums open their doors to the public – with very tight restrictions and controls. For museums, especially the big ones in Amsterdam like the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh, it will mean one is able to look at the pictures in a calm and leisurely fashion

EXTRACURRICULAR

by Parikrama Rai of Victory Art in Rotterdam.
The current pandemic has presented us with many challenges: one of which is to stay connected with the world despite being locked in our quickly shrinking homes. The internet has, however, been a blessing during this dark time. For us art enthusiasts especially, it has given us a connection to the inspiring world of art from a safe distance.

NEWS UPDATE

We will bring you relevant news about the Coronavirus situation in the Netherlands, The Hague area in particular, gleaned from various Dutch sources thanks to Omroep West and DutchBuzz.

Headlines for Wednesday, 3rd June

GGD CORONA TESTING LOCATION OPENS IN NOOTDORP

Public Health Minister, Hugo de Jonge, will officially open an outdoor corona testing centre in Nootdorp today. As of Monday this week, anyone with signs of the coronavirus can apply for the test. If you have signs of the coronavirus, you can make an appointment for the test by phoning 0800-1202.. . . .

The ArtsTalk Podcast

Each week ArtsTalk Magazine editor Michael Hasted presents a podcast focusing on cultural events in and around The Hague, Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

We meet Brazilian dancer and choreographer SAMIR CALIXTO about his work at the Korzo Theatre in The Hague and there is a song from Canadian singer and performance artist RONLEY TEPER. We talk to the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen director SJAREL EX about The Depot, an annexe to the museum which will be opening next year. . . .

BOOKS & LITERARY EVENTS

Paolo Giordano won Italy’s premier literary award at the age of twenty six with his very first novel, The Solitude of Prime Numbers. Written in between the completion of his undergraduate degree and his PhD in Physics, he would go on to complete his doctorate but then devoted himself to writing.